North Korea Says It Is Preparing Satellite Launch

Launching a 'satellite' sounds so much better than launching a ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Washingston Post

TOKYO, Feb. 24 -- By announcing that it is preparing to launch a "communications satellite," North Korea on Tuesday dressed up its planned test of a long-range ballistic missile -- which may be able to reach Alaska -- as a benign research project.

"Outer space is an asset common to mankind and its use for peaceful purposes has become a global trend," said a spokesman for the North Korean Committee of Space Technology. [...]

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said last week that a missile test would "be very unhelpful in moving our relationship forward." In a tour of East Asia, she urged the government of Kim Jong Il to stop its "provocative actions."